Method and apparatus for bleaching textile goods



s t. s, 1925. 1,553,042

F. E. HARTMAN ET AL Original Filed M y 4. 1922 .30 the present invention may be Patented Sept. 8, a 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK E. HAR'I'MAN AND HARRY BUXTON HARTMAN, F SCOTTDALE, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS T0 ELECTRIC WATER STERILIZER & OZONE COMPANY, OF SCOTTDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING TEXTILE GOODS.

Application filed Kay 4, 1922, Serial To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK E. HART- MAN and HARRY B. HARTMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Sc-ottdale, in the 6 county ofWestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods and Apparatus for Bleaching Textile Goods, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a novel method and apparatus for bleaching and sterilizing textiles, being particularly available and adaptable for use in connection with the laundering of clothes and other fabrics, in-

eluding wools, silks and coloredgoods. Primarily, therefore, it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a novel method of bleaching and sterilizing textiles which may be employed as one of the steps in laundering operations; in fact, being particularly useful as the bleaching. operation in laundries and capable of being emplo ed simultaneously with the process of laun ering, with the result of accomplishing its intended purpose quicker, more effectively and with a greater conservation of the fibers than is possible with common practices or contem orary' methods.

The principal objects andattainments of understood by contrasting the same with the present standard practice of power laundries with respect, to the bleaching operation. While such standard practice has certain well-known advantages with respect .to speedy results a and economy in the preparation of the bleach liquor, nevertheless, is objectionable and disadvantageous in many serious particulars, some of the important of which will 40 be presently particularized. The common practice of bleaching referred to is provided for by the use of the so'called J avelle water or sodium hypochlorite bleach and I this is generally manufactured on the premises by adding to a calcium hypochloritesolution of known strength a measured quantity of commercial soda ash. The wellknown reactions involved in mixing these chemicals results in a residue of calcium salts which is quite objectionable since the calcium forms insoluble soaps with oleic acid and the effect of this is to reduce the detergent power of the soaps used for cleansing;

' at the same time lime soaps deposited in the No. 558,466. Renewed April 3, 1925.

fibers of the textiles are considered injurious to textiles since they tend to reduce their unless a sour is employedto decompose it.

It is not always possible to rinse the textiles entirely free from the bleach by the use ofwater alone. Furthermore, the removal of the soda by the sour may be considered as its most important function because oxycellulose is readily formed by too great an excess of the bleach and this reacts with soda to form colored products that militate against the appearance of the finished product. Furthermore, soda also accelerates the tendency of starches to yellow under the influence of ironing temperatures, and certain blues are changed by its presence so it is therefore seen that the complete removal of residual soda, in the present practice, is highly desirable and that alone would recommend the use ofthe sour. Consequently, the souring baths form a valuable adjunct to the process of laundering and in the light of the present knowledge nothing appears to displace them, but, according to the present invention the souring step may be eliminated in so far as any products of the bleach are concerned thereof, but it is not necessary to do so.

The J avelle water bleach method, thus briefly described, while reasonably satisfactory to laundry owners possesses, as above indicated, a number of practical objections entirely aside from the impression quite largely had by the public that the chemicals used by power laundries have a deleterious eflect on clothes. A primary prac tical objection to the use of J avelle water is that itpossesses an. accumulative tendering elfect on the fibers causing arapid deterioration orrotting thereof and loss of tensile strength that progresses with each successive bleach. Also it energetically attacks some colors, which precludes its use with colored goods while the beauty of animal fibers (silk or wool) is almost immediately destroyed by hypochlorites, due to the formation of yellow chlor compounds. Consequently, the concentratedform of J avelle water bleach liquor is exceedingly corrosive, so that careless splashing about or spilling by operators creates a source of destruction that must be taken into consideration, and, furthermore, fabrics have a tendency to yellow ifbleached too often by this reagent. In addition the fact that the J avelle water bleach cannot safely be used with silk or wool draws attention to the source of dangerous infection involved in the present laundering process of silk and wool garments, thus accentuating a hygenic disadvantage in the use of the J avelle bleach in laundries.

Referring now to the present invention the same recommends itself in every particular that the J avelle bleach method is objectionable, that is to say, according to the present invention by which ozone is utilized as the bleaching agent, it possesses the distinct and valuable advantage of being very economical in operating costs and entirely removes the prejudice of the public against the use of strong chemicals in power laundries. At the same time, the use of ozone as a bleach and sterilizer, simultaneously with the process of laundering, eliminates much of the time that is now spent in the careful sorting of the fabrics as all and sundry goods can be safely and satisfactorily bleached by the use of ozone. Furthermore, as a bleaching agent the ozone does not have an accumulative tendering effect on the fib ers, and by its use there is practically no oxycellulose formed and no noticeable yellowing of the fabrics, even on long and continued bleaching. Besides ozone is not a corrosive and is productive of no byproducts other than air which is neither harmful nor objectionable, and since the solubility point of ozone, being tration, ill effects from its use cannot possibly be obtained even at the hands of the unskilled. H

Ozone, when used as proposed by the present invention, efliciently acts as a strong ermicide and deodorizer, and, by reason of its instantaneousmanufacture and use, precludes accidents that ordinarily result during the storage and distribution of concentrated liquids, such as J avelle water. In fact, all fibers and colored goods, animal and vegetable, can be economically, safely and satisfactorily bleached by ozone without any of the physical or chemical disadvantages incident to the use of Javelle water. a p

In carrying forward the invention it is below its harmful concenof course desirable to generate and utilize the ozone in a safe and thoroughly practical diagrammatically a battery of washers, each of which is designated by-the number 1 and may be any standard size or type of washer or wash wheel employed in power laundries'. These are of familiar construction so only the outline of these washers are shown in the drawings and each of the same has connected with the lower part thereof at the point 2 an ozone feeding pipe 3 provided at a suitable point therein with'a controlling valve 4 and coupled as at 5 with the main ozone distributing pipe 6, which is common to all of the individual feeding pipes for.

the individual washers. At one end the main ozone distributing pipe 6 is connected by a manifold 7, or otherwise, with a suitable ozone generator 8. This ozone generator may be of any practical form of construction but preferably of such type as disclosed in the application of one of the present applicants, No. 353,858 filed January 24, 1920. This ozone generator has associated therewith a rheostat 9 for regulating the intensity of the brush discharge and a step-up transformer 10 used to step-up the ordinary voltage to a potential necessary for the production of ozone and there is also preferably associated with this equipment a hand operated switch 11 included in the electrical circuit and designed as a factor of safety when working on the ozone generator or leaving the equipment over night.

In the production of ozone by the action of an electrical current in a generator of the type set forth in said application for Letters Patent, it is desirable, to obtain the maximum efliciency of the generator, to provide a suitable device for removing the moisture from the air before it is conducted to the ozonizing chamber and for that purpose there is included, as one of the units of the apparatus for carrying forward the present invention, a dehydrator designated generally by the reference numeral 12. This dehydrator may be of an desired onpractical construction embodying means for absorbing moisture from the air so that the same will be thoroughly driedout and fil- V tered before being delivered through the dehydrated air supply pipe '13 to the inlet the dehydrator unit 12 receives its supply of air from the raw air feed pipe 14 conn cted with the outlet 15 of a motor driven b ower 16 having an air inlet 17 preferably connected and arranged to draw air from outside of the moist atmosphere of the wash room. I

There is connected in the line of the dehy- I drated air supply pipe 13 a line-pressure pipe 18 in communication with the chamber or cylinder 9 of a flow-responsive switch device which includes a valve or piston element 20 and a suitable electrical switch 21 connected with said valve or piston device 20 so as to operate in unison therewith. The said flow-responsive switch device may be of any suitable type, such for instance as shown in Figures 9, 11 and 12 of the patent to H. B. Hartman, No. 1,363,589 granted December 28, 1920; the electrical switch 21 of said device has suitably connected therewith the line wires 22 connecting with the source of electrical supply and also the operating circuit wires 23 for the ozone generator 8 and shunted from the latter are the circuit wires 24 for the motor which operates the blower 16.

An auxiliary device employed in connection with the dehydrator unit 12 is what may be termed a moisture alarm. This -mo1sture alarm includes a hygroscopic circuit closer 24 of any suitable type, a signal circuit 25 including said circuit closer, a

source of electrical energy 26, such as a battery, and a bell 27. The circuit closer 24 is influenced by the humidity of the air and causes an alarm to ring whenever moist air is being delivered from the dehydrator unit and advises that the drying material therein needs a change.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

The blower 16 serves to draw air into the system through the air inlet 17 and force it into the dehydrator 12 and the ozone generator 8. A check valve 28 in the air feed pipe 14 serves to retain the pressure "built up by the blower, because the automatic features of the apparatus depend upon a variation in the internal air and ozone pressure.

Assuming that none of the cascade or equivalent washing wheels 1 are in operation and that the ozone take-off valves 4 are closed, the blower after a short time will build up a certain amount of internal pressure and when such pressure reaches a few pounds to the square inch the valve or piston 20 of the flow-responsive switch device will break the electrical connection to the motor driving the blower and the ozone generator simultaneously. This results in an automatic closing down of the equipment.

This character of automatic operation lends itself readily to the practice of phasing the work as adopted by most laundries. For instance, if one of the washers is -ready for the bleaching bath, the operator opens the ozone take-oil valve 4 and the internal pressure is immediately released, the mechanical effect of which is to cause the immediate depression or dropping of the diaphragm or piston 20 and closing the switch 21, thereby automatically starting both the blower and the ozone generator, the two operating in synchronism causing the production of ozone which is delivered into the washer or washers in use. The bleaching is thus continued forthe regulation five minutes or longer, if desired, and the valve or valves 4 then closed. Thereupon the system .again accumulates internal pressure and at a predetermined point very shortly reaches a flow-responsive switch device which opera tes to open the electrical circuits and stop the blower and the ozone generator. This cycle of operation is continued throughout the days work in the laundry without necessitating the distraction of the operators.

Thus it will be seen that the combination of correlated instrumentalities above described provide an economical ozone bleaching plant having the means and capacity of automatically generating ozone in the best possible condition required for the work and at the same time all parts of the apparatus have been so arranged and designed as to efl'ectually insure the desired results. For instance, it will be noted that the raw air is introduced into the dehydrator unit through its top so that the drying material coming in initial contact with the air will absorb a very large proportion of the moisture, leaving the succeeding lower stratas of the drying and filtering material before the necessary means for completely extracting the remaining traces of vapors. It is also desir ized be perfectly dry and clean. Consequently, the moisture alarm above referred to is a very desirable adjunct in order to compel the necessary attention to the filling of the dehydrator unit so that the air de-' livered therefrom will always ,be' dry and clean and free from vapors in suspended matter that would be largely precipitated in the ozone generator by the activities of the brush discharge.

Also the provision of means fofintroducing the ozone through the bleaching liquor port at the bottom part of the washers 1' insures the entrance of the ozone at the center 7 l of the wheel, and it has been established by experiment that this method is effective in obtaining a complete diflusionsof the ozone throughout the entire water 'body so' that changes in the form, construction and arto the washing rangement of the different units of the apparatus may hydrated air.

be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any advantages of the invention.

We claim: 1. A bleaching apparatus including a washing machine for textile goods, an ozone generator connected with the washing machine, means for supplying the dehydrated air to the ozone generator, and means for automatically stopping and starting the generator and the means for supplying de- 2; A bleaching apparatus including a washing machine for textile goods, an ozone generator connected with said machine, means for supplying the generator with dehydrated air-and flow-resposive means for supplying dehydrated air.

3. A bleaching apparatus including a washing machine for textile goods, an ozone generator connected with said machine, a dehydrator unit for supplying dehydrated air to the ozone generator, air supplying means.

ozone has a further advantage ozone generator, a blower for the dehydrator and pressure-responsive means for automatically stopping and starting the action of the generator and the air supplying means for the dehydrator.

4. A bleaching apparatus including a container for textile goods, an ozone generator connected with said container by a valved connection, a deyhdrator having a pipe connection with the ozone generator, a flowresponsive device in communication with said pipe connection to be responsive to the internalpressure of the system, said device having means for automatically stopping and starting the action of the generator and the source of air supply for the dehydrator.

5. An apparatus including a container for the textile goods, an ozone generator having valve communication with said container, a dehydrator having piped connection with the for supplying air to the dehydrator, a pressure-responsive switch device in communication with a dehydrated air pipe to the generator and included in an electrical circuit with the ozone generator and the blowermotor, and a hygroscopic operated alarm device connected with the dehydrated air line from the dehydrator.

6. An apparatus including a container for the textile goods, an ozone generator having valved connections with said container, a dehydrator unit for supplying dehydrated air to the generator, air supplying means for the dehydrator, means for automatically stopping and starting said air supplying means for the generator and a hygroscopically cont-rolled moisture alarm device connected with the dehydrated air-line from the dehydrator.

In testimony our signatures.

FRANK E. HARTMAN. HARRY BUxroN HARTMAN. v

whereof we hereunto afiix 

